National Control of Tuberculosis: Does Primary Health Care System Play a Crucial Role in the Fight Against Tuberculosis?

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the tuberculosis control studies in a primary health care center and to observe the changes throughout the years.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of patients followed up between 2005 and 2014 in the Elazığ Dispensary were investigated retrospectively.RESULTS: Of the total 1,251 patients, 51.6% were male. Majority of patients were aged between 15 and 24 (19.9%), 25 and 35 (18.5%),and over 65 (14.4%). While the rate of a sputum smear examination was 71.6%, the positivity rate for Acid-Fast bacilli was 55.5%. Itwas detected that the drug sensitivity test was applied in only 25.8% of all patients. The treatment success of all patients was 85.8%. Thecure rate of smear-positive cases was found to be 26.35%. The rate of the relapsing patients was 9.1%. An overall treatment responserate was found to be 87.4%.CONCLUSION: The control of tuberculosis in primary health care is partially successful and insufficient. The rate of smear-positivedefaulters was found to be high in young adult individuals, which indicates that the contamination is probably still going on at a dangerous rate. Furthermore, the overall rate of microscopic examination, sputum culture, and drug sensitivity tests performed in patients in theprimary health care system is low and should be improved immediately.